Cara Cara Inn Review: The Best Boutique Hostel in Bali?

Out of all the places we stayed during our month travelling in Bali, the Cara Cara Inn (pronounced ch-ara ch-ara inn) left the biggest lasting impression on myself and Alix. We booked the boutique hostel after spotting it on Booking.com and after seeing all the instagram shots with the pool floats, I just had to book it for our two night / three days in Kuta. As it was the first stop on our trip (and jetlag was reaaaal) we wanted to make sure we were staying somewhere trendy, modern, and within our budget. Cara Cara Inn was *all* of these things, and more.

CARA CARA INN

LOCATION

Located in Kuta city centre, Cara Cara Inn is the perfect base for getting to know Bali, Kuta, and the surrounding areas. We took a Blue Bird taxi up from Denpasar Airport and cost around 80,000 IDR (around £4.50), you can get cheaper from touts on the street but we felt like Blue Bird were the safest option. It’s right bang in the middle of everything, whatever you want to see, do, or eat is within walking distance if in Kuta centre. If you’re looking to go farther afield I was suggest downloading both the Bluebird and GO-JEK apps and using their taxi services to get around.

THE HOSTEL

Once you know where Cara Cara Inn is, it can’t be missed. There are rows and rows of scooters/mopeds parked outside and the stylish colour scheme is evident from the get go. I was already obsessed with the place from the get go. I would say that the inn sways more to boutique hostel than hotel as many of the rooms are bunk beds (ie 6 pax female-only), and there are communal areas which give off the whole “hostel community” vibe.

We noticed that there were travellers from all over staying at the Cara Cara Inn, so it’s certainly a way to make friends over brekkie. Not only that, but we spoke to a few travellers over some ping pong on the roof, and they even have giant jenga to keep you occupied with a cocktail as the evening draws in.

ROOM

We did find the Cara Cara Inn pretty late on in the game, and by then all the double rooms had been booked. Bummer. We ended up with The Camper which is a twin bunk room (obvz we slept together on the single bottom bunk, and annoyed each other all night)… and it was cosy to say the least. It’s a small room, like very small for two people. But you’re travelling, why are you in your room anyway, huh? There was *just* enough room for our travellers backpacks and we sort of had everything everywhere. The bathroom was really clean, and we were provided with tooth brushes, bottled water, and all of that jazz on a daily basis.

I do wish we had gotten The Caracara which is the double bed room, as it looks amazing on the website. We paid £17 a night including breakfast, and it was an absolute steal. But if you book in advance you can get the double room for around £35 a night which is so worth the extra dollar spent.

POOL & BAR

The communal areas are by far the best bit about this place, every detail has been accounted for and it’s oh, so, stylish. The pool itself has a cute little feature from above, but if you fancy cute photos or just a laze in the sun, grab one of many pool floats (they’re cute af).

There’s also little slide into the pool, which I assume is mostly for photos. and pool loungers which Alix & I enjoyed reading on in the late afternoon. If you fancy doing something active and fun, you can play ping pong or jenga on the top deck.

The bar area is the cutest little car-made-shack which hosts a generous happy hour (the drinks here are strong and cheap) and you can take the drinks to the top deck or pool area to enjoy in the sun or with a view in the evening.

BREAKFAST & FOOD

Breakfast is served early at Cara Cara Inn, and you need to have “breakfast tokens” to hand into reception on the day. Don’t lose them! You can choose between Asian and Continental, or you can get a “takeaway” breakfast for morning excursions. We had the “Asian” breakfast both mornings and it was by far the best hotel breakfast we had in Bali. The meal was simple, yet tasted so bloody good. Asian options are normally traditional Indonesian Mie Goreng (fried noodles) and Nasi Goreng (fried rice) both served with veg and egg. Whilst one of the other options available during our stay was Eggs Benedict, and fruit juices, tea, and coffee are complimentary. Just head on down to the reception / dining area on the morning, hand in your token, and take a seat.

BEST BOUTIQUE HOSTEL?

I must say, Cara Cara Inn was beyond anything I imagined it to be. Located in the heart of Kuta, this is the ideal boutique hostel to take your travelling to the next level without forking out on crazy expensive resorts. It’s cool, stylish, fun, and super, super cheap and has risen to one of my most memorable stays during our whole Bali trip. The brekkie is the best value for money by far, and the instagrammable shots are an added plus.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely, book it and you wont be disappointed.